Cowpoxby: jake, elise, & phillip

The cowpox virus got its name from dairymaids touching the udders of infected cows and when people would touch rodents that had the disease hundreds of years ago. An english farmer in 1770 discovered that dairymaids who had gotten and recovered from cowpox they had not only became immune to future cases of cowpox, but also to the more deadly viral disease smallpox. In 1796 English physician, Dr Edward Jenner used the cowpox virus to treat a patient to prevent them from getting smallpox. This was the first successful vaccination performed.

Symptoms of cowpox include: Swelling of lymph nodes, red streaks from infected area to the armpit, throbbing pain along the affected area, a fever, chills, loss of appetite, muscle aches, and headaches.

There used to not be a treatment or cure for cowpox. Now there is a vaccine for this disease and it helps so that you do not get this disease. If a person gets the disease then the immune system kicks in after 6-12 weeks. The disease will be fought off eventually.

Scientific Name

vaccinia

Cowpox can not be transmitted from person to person, and it is zoonotic. This means that the disease can be transmitted from an animal to a person. You can only get it from direct contact with an infected cow or an infected rodent.

Benefits

If a human is infected with cowpox then they will become immune to small pox, also the disease helped aid in the development of the vaccine for smallpox. In 1980 the vaccine that was created ended the disease small pox almost completely.